Are Spouse’s Fair Game?
Well.. I suppose that depends. If the spouse of a presidential candidate has a role in their campaign or is likely to have a role in their administration beyond “First Lady” social duties, the answer is clearly yes. Why should the scrutiny of a spouse’s expressed thoughts and positions be any less than that of a trusted advisor? Is there no insight to be gained into the influences that will be factored by a president through the analysis of the views of his/her spouse?
Who among us believes that Hillary Clinton had no influence over the policies of the Bill Clinton administration? In fact, isn’t that one of the reasons we are told to believe she is now day-one ready to be president? And we certainly would expect Bill Clinton to have some input into policy decisions if Hillary were elected president.
So why is it a surprise that the words of Michelle Obama are being analyzed and utilized by those who oppose Obama for president? She clearly would be more of a Hillary Clinton First Lady than a Barbara Bush First Lady, actively engaged and consulted by Barack; so her view of the world and her feelings about America are relevant from at least two perspectives: how her views influence those of her husband and how her views reflect those of her husband.
Now Barack Obama wants folks to “.. lay off my wife.” Frankly, I understand the sentiment and don’t blame him. On the other hand, when you expose family to scrutiny, you should not be surprised when they are scrutinized.
Would Obama have us believe that his wife will simply be a wife and First Lady, or is she an intelligent trusted advisor who he believes will be a positive influence on his presidency? I have been under the impression that the latter is true; as such, afraid laying off anyone with that much influence over a potential president is just not an option.
Here’s a little video I uploaded back in Feb 2008. Words matter… don’t they?
Oh… and now that it looks all but certain that Obama will be the Dem nominee… just wanted to say “I told you so…” back in February 2007 when almost no one gave him a chance to win it.
Others commenting: Michelle Malkin thinks Michelle Obama should stay away from the mic if she’s not in the game too
Stumble it!